Wheeled toy



Aug. 23, 1932. L. osKow WHEELED TOY I Filed Nov. 6, 1928 INVENTOR Lou/s 0.9mm!

' BY I L %%0RNEY Patented Aug; 23, 1932 STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS OSZKQ'EV, OE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF T0 MORRIS mason- STEIN, OF BROOKLYN,NEW YORK WHEELED Application filed; November 6, 1928. Serial No. 317,571.

This invention relates to Wheeled toys.

An object of this invention is to provide, for toy vehicles or other bodies moving over a definite path, signaling means carried by the vehicle, preferably actuated by. parts of the vehicle, and means for controlling the actuation of said signaling meansautomatical said vehicle is moved over said path.

A further object of this invention is to provide Wheeled toys such as toy railroad cars with mechanism for producing a sound simulating that of a locomotive whistle.

An additional object of this invention is to provide, in devices of the characterdescribed, means for automatically starting and cutting off the whistling sound at predetermined points in the travel of'the car on the tracks. I I Another object of this invention is to provide an accessory of the character described which shall be inexpensive of manufacture, simple andpositive in operation, which shall provide an added source of attraction and amusement in toy railroads, and which shall be practical and efiicient to a high degree in use.

- @ther ects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out. p h 7 The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts whichwill be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims. I

v In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention, Y

Fig. 1 is a side elevat-ional view of a'toy electric locomotive and aportion of a'track upon which said locomotive is adapted to be operated, said parts being equipped with mechanism embodying the invention, parts of the locomotive being broken away to disclose the interior constructionthereof.

Fig. 2 is a top elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 1, parts of thelocomotive being broken away to show the interior construction.

Fig. 3 is a View in'plan of details of the invention, illustrating the position of the respective parts at various tion thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawing'illuspoints in the operatrating one embodiment of the invention, the

latter is there shown as applied to toy electric trains including a toy electric locomotive car '10 mounted upon a portion llof the usual track on which toylocomotivesofjthis type are adapted to be operated. I Track 11, as ordinarily found in practice, comprises a pair of side-rails 12 and 13, and a'central fthird rail 15'mounted on spaced supports 14, said third rail being insulated from said supports in any suitable manner. Power for moving the car 10 may be produced by an electric motor '16, mounted in said car, and comprising, generally, a field magnet 17, and an armature 18, carried on a shaft 19 rotatably mounted within said magnet. Electric energy is conducted to armature 18 from a metallic spring 20 provided with brushes for collecting, from third rail .15, the necessary energy for operation of the unit. In this particular embodiment, said brushes takethe form of spaced wheels 21 having rolling contact with third rail 15.

The other terminal of armature 18 may be 'groundedto any part of the car having electrical'contact with the rails 12,13. In this instance, such connection is provided through gear 22, which is in electrical connection with rails 12 and 13. Gear 22 is fixed on armature shaft 19 and meshes with a gear 23 rotatably mounted on a portion of the body of car 10. Said gear 23 meshes with gears (not shown) which are mounted on axles 24a, 25a respectively, the locomotivewheels 24b, 256 being mounted on said axles.

, The structure thus far described is part of the usual toy electric railroad equipment. In addition thereto, a signal sounding device '30 is mounted on car 10 and means are provided for utilizing motor 16, or the parts driven thereby, to operate device 30. In the usual construction of toy devices of the character described above, motor 16 and its associated parts are supported between a pair of plates 31, 31a, which are mounted longitudinally of sai'd car. .Plates 31, 31a are secured to Li L brackets 31?) by means of screws 32, said brackets being formed integrally with, or being secured to any fixed portions of said car. A bearing extension 310, carried by plate 3160, provides support for one end of armature shaft 19, while the other end extends through plate 31. Plate 31 may have provision made therein for rotatably supporting a pintle 34, upon which a gear 35 is fixedly mounted Gear 35 is positioned to mesh with gear 22, and thus to be driven by motor armature 18. A pinion 36, also fixedly mounted on pintle 34, is adapted to be brought into cooperation with a gear 37,1 xed on a spur shaft 38, which is rotatably'mounted in a suitable bearing 39 formed in the intermediate portion of a lever member 40, pivoted at one end 41 thereof on said supporting plate 31.

A fixed pin 42 projecting from a face of gear 37 and in eccentric relation to the center of said gear, serves as a pivot for a connecting rod 43. Rod 43 extends away from pin 42 toward beth front and rear of car 10, and is pivotally connected at its rear end 44 to an arm 45 of a bell crank 46, of which arm 45 preferably forms an integral part. Crank 46 may be provided with a shaft 47 rotatably carried in a .sleeve 48 d to said supporting plate 31. The second arm 49 of crank 36 is fixed to shaft 47 for movement in a plane parallel to: arm 45.

At the rear end of car 10 is positioned a bellows 49a, dapted to be actuated by arm in the manner hereinafter appearing. Bellows 49;; may have an end wall 50, provided with a central projection 51 having a suitable opening 52 for receiving a pin 53, either integral with, or otherwise secured on arm 49; Bellows 49a further includes a wall 54,

7 fixed within car 10 at the rear portion thereof, as bybrackets 55, extending from the car frame 56, and retained thereon by screws 57. The usual flexible bellows wall 58 may connect the peripheral portions of walls and 54 all 54 in this embodiment is shown as provided with an upstanding tubular memher-59 which may communicate through an opening in wall 54, with the interior of bellows49a. Any suitable sound emitting member 60, such as an ordinary whistle, may be supported, preferably in a horizontal position in car 10 along the length thereof, being connected to tube 59 by any suitably curved tube 61.

It will now be apparent that when car 10 is moved along rails. 12 and 13, rotation will be transmitted from armature 18 to gear 37. Rotation of gear 37 will actuate crank 46 through connecting rod 43 to reciprocate bellows wall 50 and cause an air flow through tubes 59 and 61, and whistle 60 to produce a sound. The whistle may be provided with any desired reed 64, preferably selected for the production of a sound simulating the shrieking sound of a locomotive whistle.

In order automatically to simulate the method of slgnalmg used 1n operating the ordmary locomotive whistle, means is provided to cut off and start the whistling sound at predetermined points in the travel of the car portion 65, with a slot 66 which is adapted to co-eperate with means for rotating lever 40 about its pivoted end 41.

Adjacent the end of lever 40, there is fixed to the car 10 an elongated vertical bearing member 67, held securely in position by bolts 68, which may engage an extension '69, preferably integrally formed with hearing member 67, and a floor portion 70 of car 10. Bearing member 67 is formed to receive a shaft 71, extending through and beyond the opposite end portions of said member, as at 72 and 73. A cam member 74, provided with a collar portion 75 fixedly received on the upper extension 72 of shaft 71, is formed with a substantially helically shaped cam plate 75a, which in the assembled arrangement, extends through slot 66. A bent-up end 7 55 provides a stop to-co-act with the edges of slot 66 in determining the limit of movement of member 74. Cam 7 5a is adapted to press against the upper edge 76 of slot 66 for lifting the lever 40 during counter-clockwise rotation of shaft 71, as seen in Fig. 2, and is adapted to press against the lower edge 7 7 of said slot for lowering said lever, on clockwise movement of said sha-ft. It will be noted that when the lever 40 is thus lifted, gear 37 which is mounted thereon is unmeshed from gear 36. Actuation of bellows 49a is thus prevented, and the whistling sound is thereby cut Off. Conversely, when the lever is lowered, gear 37 is bro'ugft into mesh with gear 36, and the actuation of bellows 49a for causing the whistling sound begins.

For causing movement of cam 74 at predetermined intervals in the travel of car 10 on track? 11, the lower extension 7 3 of shaft 71 is adapted to receive fixedly thereon a collar- 80. Collar 80 forms a part of a lever 30a, which comprises arms 81 and 82, extending in opposite directions from said collar, and together forming. an obtuse angle opening toward the rear of the train. Striker members 83, 83a are secured at sp ced intervals to rails 12. and 13' respectively alternating at each interval, from one rail to the other, and are so constructed as to strike the respective arms 81, 82a for rotating shaft 71, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction..

As seen in Figs. 2, arms 81 and 82 are of equal length, while shaft 71 is mounted to one side of the'center line of car 10. The latter position is necessary in order to provide for the proper co-action of cam- 74 with slot 66. Due to this. construction, the striking members 83, 83a used respectively on tracks 12 and 13, are not identical'in'f0rm. Each member 83 preferably Comprises a bottom plate 84 to underlie the rail, said bottom plate being provided with a hooked extension 85 adapted toengag the inner edge 86 of the base 87 of therail. Member 83 is further provided with an upwardly bent extension 88terminating in an arm 89, having a straight edge 89a and a camedge 8%, straight edge 89a being adapted to engage the arm. A set screw 90 passing'through arm 89inayforce extensions 85 to secure member 83 firmly on said rail. It will be noted that the arm 89 is positioned outside rail 12. In striking member 83a, the arm-83b must be positioned within rail 13 in orderproperly toco-operate with arm 82. Therefore, the hooked extensions 830 for member 83a are on the same side of rail 13 as arm 836, while the extension 83d, in which the set screw 836 is secured, is positioned on'the opposite side of rail 13.

It is to be understood that normally car 10 will have. movement in a direction from left to right, as seen from the arrow in Fig. 2. Therefore, as the arms 81 and 82 are brought into a position in which they extend substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the striker member with which they are associated, movement of car 10 will cause striking of one of said arms and actuation of shaft 67, firstly to position cam 74 in its operation of controlling gear 37, and secondly to posil tionthe other unstruck arm for co-action with the next striker member. I

In operation,lthe arm 81 or 82, as the case may be, is engaged by thestraight edge 89a of the respective striker members83, 836;, as

the car moves forwardly, and the shaft 67 is rotated.

The full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 show the position assumed by the parts after the striker 83 on rail 12 has engaged lever 80a. In this position, cam plate a has lowered the lever 4-0 to mesh gear 37 with gear 36 for actuating the bellows to produce the whistling sound. The dotted line position of levers a and 40 in Figs. 1 and 2 illustrates the position these levers assume after the arm 82 has been contacted by a striker member 83a, secured in any desired position on the rail 13. In this dotted line position, lever 40 is lifted and the gears 36 and 37 are unmeshed. The whistling sound is thus discontinued until another striker 83 engages bent portion 81 to rotate the lever 80a for bringing gears 36 and 37 again into mesh.

In order to retain the cam 7 5a and the associated parts in a position in which they have been set by the actuation of a striker 83 or 83a, a pivoted pin 90 carried on an arm 92 extending from collar 81, is provided. Pin 90 extends through an opening in the upstanding ear 94 of the fixedguide' 96, secured upon a portion of car 10. A coiled spring-97, retained between a shoulder 98, formed at the enlarged pivotedend of pin 90, and the face of guide 96, serves to provide the force necessary for a snap action mechanism, which will cause quick-separation and meshing of the gears, as well as the firm retention of the parts in meshed or unmeshed relation. 7

' Provision is made to permit reversal of the direction of motion of car 10 without affecting the setting of the signal means 30, as when the toy locomotive has been automatically, or otherwise, connected for operation in a reverse direction. It has been previously indicated'that the striker members 83, 83a, are provided with cam edges 89?). The arms 81' and 82 are preferably made of spring metal, of broad extent, to resist damage from striking the upright edge 89a, but'of slight thickness to permit sufiicient elasticity in said arm so that it may easily ride up on the cam edge 8%, pass thereover and be released therefronnwithout affecting the driving effect of wheels 24?), 256 or without upsetting car 10. Such action will also leave the setting of cam 74 undisturbed, especially in view of the resistance offered by spring-97 to any such .movement.

It isto be understood that any toy vehicle 'may beprovided with the sound producing mechanism herein disclosed, it being apparent that gear 37 may be meshed to any gear rota-ting with the vehicle wheels. Likewise, the invention might be associated with any moving body with which it is desired to associate a signal or alarm device, the operation of which lends itself to control by parts positioned on the vehicle and in the path of the latter.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted tomeet-the conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure'by Letters Patent 1. A member lows and a whistle mounted on said member, means for actuating said bellows, and means on said path for controlling the operation of said actuating means.

movable along a path,-a bel- 2. In combination with a vehicle, motor I 3. In combination with a vehicle, motor means for moving said vehicle, sound producing means, means on said vehicle, driven by said motor means, for actuating said sound producing means during movement of said vehicle, and means positioned in the path of said vehicle for controlling said actuating means to make said sound producing means operative for predetermined periods during movement of said vehicle.

4:. In combination with a vehicle, electric driving means for the vehicle, signal means associated with said vehicle, said signal means being actuatable by said driving means, and means controlling the actuation ofsaid signal means by said driving means to make said signal means operative and inoperative for predetermined periods during the travel of said vehicle.

5. In combination with a movable vehicle, a defined path for said vehicle, sound producing means on said vehicle, means for actuating said sound producing means, means for moving said vehicle, said actuating means being arrangeable to be driven by said moving means, and means in said path of said vehicle for disconnecting said actuating means from said moving means.

6. In combination with a movable vehicle, a defined path for said vehicle, sound producing means on said vehicle, meansfor actuating said sound producing means, means for moving said vehicle, said actuating means being arranged to be driven by said moving means, means for releasing said actuating means from said driven relation with said moving means, and means in the path of said vehicle for controlling said releasing means.

7. In combination with a toy wheeled car, a gear operatively connected with the running parts of said car, sound emitting means mounted on said car comprising a bellows having a movable head, a gear operatively connected with said head, and means for meshing said gears to move said head and actuate said sound emitting means by the runnin g parts of said car, and automatic means for unmeshing said gears at predetermined points in the movement ofthe car for rendering said sound emitting means inoperable.

8. In toy railroad equipment of the character described, in combination, a railed track, a car mounted on said track, a gear operatively associated with the running parts of said car, sound emitting means mounted on said car comprising a bellows having a movable head, a gear operatively associated with said head for actuating the bellows, means for meshing and unmeshing said gears and means associated with said track for controlling said last mentioned means.

9. In toy railroad equipment of the charac er described, in combination, a railed track, a car mounted on said track, a gear operatively associated with the running parts of said car, sound emitting means mounted on said car, a gear operatively associated with said sound emitting means for actuating the same, and means for meshing or unmeshing said gears at predetermined'points in the travel of said car on said track.

10. I11 combination, a toy vehicle,aI-1 electric motor thereon, a gear operable thereby, a bellows mounted on said vehicle and having a movable head, a whistle on said vehicle actuated by said bellows, a crank pivoted to said vehicle having an arm connected to said head, an elongated member pivoted to said vehicle, a gear rotatably mounted on said elongated member adapted to mesh with said first gear, a connecting rod pivoted to another arm of said crank and eccentrically connected to said second gear and means for pivotally moving said elongated member for unmeshing said gears.

11. In combination, a track, a toy vehicle thereon, a motor mounted on said vehicle, a gear operatively'connected to said motor, an elongated member pivoted to said vehicle, a gear rotatably mounted on said member adapted to mesh with said first gear, a bel lows having a movable head mounted on said vehicle and means connected to said second gear for actuatingsaid head.

12. In combination, a track, a toy vehicle thereon, a motor mounted on said vehicle, a gear operatively connected to said motor, an elongated member pivoted to said vehicle, a gear rotatably mounted on said member adapted to mesh with said first gear, a bellows 1 having a movable head mounted on said vehicle, means connected to said secondgear for actuating said head, and means for moving said elongated member for unmeshing said gears at predetermined points on said track.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LOUIS OSKOl/V. 

